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Deiana C, Agostini M, Brandi G, Giovannetti E. The trend toward more target therapy in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Expert Rev Anticancer Ther 2024; 24:525-565. [PMID: 38768098 DOI: 10.1080/14737140.2024.2357802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Despite the considerable progress made in cancer treatment through the development of target therapies, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) continues to exhibit resistance to this category of drugs. As a result, chemotherapy combination regimens remain the primary treatment approach for this aggressive cancer. AREAS COVERED In this review, we provide an in-depth analysis of past and ongoing trials on both well-known and novel targets that are being explored in PDAC, including PARP, EGFR, HER2, KRAS, and its downstream and upstream pathways (such as RAF/MEK/ERK and PI3K/AKT/mTOR), JAK/STAT pathway, angiogenesis, metabolisms, epigenetic targets, claudin, and novel targets (such as P53 and plectin). We also provide a comprehensive overview of the significant trials for each target, allowing a thorough glimpse into the past and future of target therapy. EXPERT OPINION The path toward implementing a target therapy capable of improving the overall survival of PDAC is still long, and it is unlikely that a monotherapy target drug will fulfill a meaningful role in addressing the complexity of this cancer. Thus, we discuss the future direction of target therapies in PDAC, trying to identify the more promising target and combination treatments, with a special focus on the more eagerly awaited ongoing trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Deiana
- Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Margherita Agostini
- Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Giovanni Brandi
- Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Elisa Giovannetti
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, VU University Medical Center (VUmc), Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Cancer Pharmacology Lab, Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro (AIRC) Start-Up Unit, Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, Pisa, San Giuliano, Italy
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2
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Jiménez DJ, Javed A, Rubio-Tomás T, Seye-Loum N, Barceló C. Clinical and Preclinical Targeting of Oncogenic Pathways in PDAC: Targeted Therapeutic Approaches for the Deadliest Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:2860. [PMID: 38474109 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25052860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide. It is commonly diagnosed in advanced stages and therapeutic interventions are typically constrained to systemic chemotherapy, which yields only modest clinical outcomes. In this review, we examine recent developments in targeted therapy tailored to address distinct molecular pathway alteration required for PDAC. Our review delineates the principal signaling pathways and molecular mechanisms implicated in the initiation and progression of PDAC. Subsequently, we provide an overview of prevailing guidelines, ongoing investigations, and prospective research trajectories related to targeted therapeutic interventions, drawing insights from randomized clinical trials and other pertinent studies. This review focus on a comprehensive examination of preclinical and clinical data substantiating the efficacy of these therapeutic modalities, emphasizing the potential of combinatorial regimens and novel therapies to enhance the quality of life for individuals afflicted with PDAC. Lastly, the review delves into the contemporary application and ongoing research endeavors concerning targeted therapy for PDAC. This synthesis serves to bridge the molecular elucidation of PDAC with its clinical implications, the evolution of innovative therapeutic strategies, and the changing landscape of treatment approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego J Jiménez
- Translational Pancreatic Cancer Oncogenesis Group, Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Hospital Universitari Son Espases, 07120 Palma de Mallorca, Spain
| | - Aadil Javed
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Teresa Rubio-Tomás
- School of Medicine, University of Crete, 70013 Herakleion, Crete, Greece
| | - Ndioba Seye-Loum
- Translational Pancreatic Cancer Oncogenesis Group, Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Hospital Universitari Son Espases, 07120 Palma de Mallorca, Spain
| | - Carles Barceló
- Translational Pancreatic Cancer Oncogenesis Group, Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Hospital Universitari Son Espases, 07120 Palma de Mallorca, Spain
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Pramanik N, Gupta A, Ghanwatkar Y, Mahato RI. Recent advances in drug delivery and targeting for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. J Control Release 2024; 366:231-260. [PMID: 38171473 PMCID: PMC10922996 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2023.12.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2023] [Revised: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Despite significant treatment efforts, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the deadliest solid tumor, is still incurable in the preclinical stages due to multifacet stroma, dense desmoplasia, and immune regression. Additionally, tumor heterogeneity and metabolic changes are linked to low grade clinical translational outcomes, which has prompted the investigation of the mechanisms underlying chemoresistance and the creation of effective treatment approaches by selectively targeting genetic pathways. Since targeting upstream molecules in first-line oncogenic signaling pathways typically has little clinical impact, downstream signaling pathways have instead been targeted in both preclinical and clinical studies. In this review, we discuss how the complexity of various tumor microenvironment (TME) components and the oncogenic signaling pathways that they are connected to actively contribute to the development and spread of PDAC, as well as the ways that recent therapeutic approaches have been targeted to restore it. We also illustrate how many endogenous stimuli-responsive linker-based nanocarriers have recently been developed for the specific targeting of distinct oncogenes and their downstream signaling cascades as well as their ongoing clinical trials. We also discuss the present challenges, prospects, and difficulties in the development of first-line oncogene-targeting medicines for the treatment of pancreatic cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nilkamal Pramanik
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Aditya Gupta
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Yashwardhan Ghanwatkar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Ram I Mahato
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA.
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Perry JR, Genenger B, Thind AS, Ashford B, Ranson M. PIK Your Poison: The Effects of Combining PI3K and CDK Inhibitors against Metastatic Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma In Vitro. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:370. [PMID: 38254859 PMCID: PMC10814950 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16020370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is a very common skin malignancy with poor prognosis for patients with locally advanced or metastatic cSCC (mcSCC). PI3K/AKT/mTOR and cell cycle signalling pathways are often dysregulated in mcSCC. A combination drug approach has been theorised to overcome the underwhelming clinical performance of targeted inhibitors as single agents. This study investigates the potential of targeted inhibition of the p110α-subunit of PI3K with PIK-75 or BGT226 (P13Ki), and of CDK1/2/5/9 with dinaciclib (CDKi) as single agents and in combination. The patient-derived mcSCC cell lines, UW-CSCC1 and UW-CSCC2, were used to assess cell viability, migration, cell signalling, cell cycle distribution, and apoptosis. PIK-75, BGT226, and dinaciclib exhibited strong cytotoxic potency as single agents. Notably, the non-malignant HaCaT cell line was unaffected. In 2D cultures, PIK-75 synergistically enhanced the cytotoxic effects of dinaciclib in UW-CSCC2, but not UW-CSCC1. Interestingly, this pattern was reversed in 3D spheroid models. Despite the combination of PIK-75 and dinaciclib resulting in an increase in cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, and reduced cell motility, these differences were largely negligible compared to their single-agent counterpart. The differential responses between the cell lines correlated with driver gene mutation profiles. These findings suggest that personalised medicine approaches targeting PI3K and CDK pathways in combination may yield some benefit for mcSCC, and that more complex 3D models should be considered for drug responsiveness studies in this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay R. Perry
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, Molecular Horizon, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia; (B.G.); (A.S.T.)
| | - Benjamin Genenger
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, Molecular Horizon, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia; (B.G.); (A.S.T.)
| | - Amarinder Singh Thind
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, Molecular Horizon, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia; (B.G.); (A.S.T.)
- Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District, Wollongong, NSW 2500, Australia;
| | - Bruce Ashford
- Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District, Wollongong, NSW 2500, Australia;
- Graduate School of Medicine, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Marie Ranson
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, Molecular Horizon, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia; (B.G.); (A.S.T.)
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Zhang J, Darman L, Hassan MS, Von Holzen U, Awasthi N. Targeting KRAS for the potential treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: Recent advancements provide hope (Review). Oncol Rep 2023; 50:206. [PMID: 37800636 PMCID: PMC10570661 DOI: 10.3892/or.2023.8643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) is one of the most frequently mutated oncogenes in solid tumors. More than 90% of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are driven by mutations in the KRAS gene, suggesting the importance of targeting this oncogene in PDAC. Initial efforts to target KRAS have been unsuccessful due to its small size, high affinity for guanosine triphosphate/guanosine diphosphate, and lack of distinct drug‑binding pockets. Therefore, much of the focus has been directed at inhibiting the activation of major signaling pathways downstream of KRAS, most notably the PI3K/AKT and RAF/MAPK pathways, using tyrosine kinase inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies. While preclinical studies showed promising results, clinical data using the inhibitors alone and in combination with other standard therapies have shown limited practicality, largely due to the lack of efficacy and dose‑limiting toxicities. Recent therapeutic approaches for KRAS‑driven tumors focus on mutation‑specific drugs such as selective KRASG12C inhibitors and son of sevenless 1 pan‑KRAS inhibitors. While KRASG12C inhibitors showed great promise against patients with non‑small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring KRASG12C mutations, they were not efficacious in PDAC largely because the major KRAS mutant isoforms in PDAC are G12D, G12V, and G12R. As a result, KRASG12D and pan‑KRAS inhibitors are currently under investigation as potential therapeutic options for PDAC. The present review summarized the importance of KRAS oncogenic signaling, challenges in its targeting, and preclinical and clinical targeted agents including recent direct KRAS inhibitors for blocking KRAS signaling in PDAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Zhang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
- Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Lily Darman
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
- Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Md Sazzad Hassan
- Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
- Department of Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, South Bend, IN 46617, USA
| | - Urs Von Holzen
- Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
- Department of Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, South Bend, IN 46617, USA
- Goshen Center for Cancer Care, Goshen, IN 46526, USA
- University of Basel School of Medicine, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Niranjan Awasthi
- Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
- Department of Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, South Bend, IN 46617, USA
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6
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Chen Z, Chen M, Fu Y, Zhang J. The KRAS signaling pathway's impact on the characteristics of pancreatic cancer cells. Pathol Res Pract 2023; 248:154603. [PMID: 37356222 DOI: 10.1016/j.prp.2023.154603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023]
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is classified as a cancer with high metastasis so that its mortality rate is high and most of the patients could not survive longer than 5 years. RAS signaling participate in cellular processes, so it has a key role in PDAC.RAS activation is associated via three different signaling pathway including somatic oncogenic point mutations in KRAS, upstream signaling like EGFR, oncogenic activation of the downstream B-RAF molecule. Several targeted therapies have been developed against kinase effectors particularly those in the MAPK and PI3K (phosphoinositide 3-kinase)/mTOR signaling pathways and several inhibitors are undergoing clinical studies at the moment. However, because it is highly metastatic and frequently diagnosed at advanced disease stages, pancreatic cancer continues to be a challenging cancer to treat. This article will explore therapeutic approaches that focus on oncogenic KRAS signaling in pancreatic cancer and provide an updated synopsis of our knowledge of how mutant KRAS function in the illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- ZhangXing Chen
- Department of Gastroenterology, Success Hospital Affiliated to Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361000, China
| | - Meiyan Chen
- Department of Gastroenterology, Success Hospital Affiliated to Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361000, China.
| | - Yuka Fu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Success Hospital Affiliated to Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361000, China
| | - Jingyi Zhang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Success Hospital Affiliated to Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361000, China
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7
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Wang Q, Bode AM, Zhang T. Targeting CDK1 in cancer: mechanisms and implications. NPJ Precis Oncol 2023; 7:58. [PMID: 37311884 DOI: 10.1038/s41698-023-00407-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Cyclin dependent kinases (CDKs) are serine/threonine kinases that are proposed as promising candidate targets for cancer treatment. These proteins complexed with cyclins play a critical role in cell cycle progression. Most CDKs demonstrate substantially higher expression in cancer tissues compared with normal tissues and, according to the TCGA database, correlate with survival rate in multiple cancer types. Deregulation of CDK1 has been shown to be closely associated with tumorigenesis. CDK1 activation plays a critical role in a wide range of cancer types; and CDK1 phosphorylation of its many substrates greatly influences their function in tumorigenesis. Enrichment of CDK1 interacting proteins with Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis was conducted to demonstrate that the associated proteins participate in multiple oncogenic pathways. This abundance of evidence clearly supports CDK1 as a promising target for cancer therapy. A number of small molecules targeting CDK1 or multiple CDKs have been developed and evaluated in preclinical studies. Notably, some of these small molecules have also been subjected to human clinical trials. This review evaluates the mechanisms and implications of targeting CDK1 in tumorigenesis and cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiushi Wang
- The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, 801 16th Ave NE, Austin, MN, 55912, USA
| | - Ann M Bode
- The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, 801 16th Ave NE, Austin, MN, 55912, USA.
| | - Tianshun Zhang
- The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, 801 16th Ave NE, Austin, MN, 55912, USA.
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8
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Chen S, Zhou S, Huang YE, Yuan M, Lei W, Chen J, Lin K, Jiang W. Estimating Metastatic Risk of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma at Single-Cell Resolution. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232315020. [PMID: 36499343 PMCID: PMC9736800 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232315020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2022] [Revised: 11/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterized by intra-tumoral heterogeneity, and patients are always diagnosed after metastasis. Thus, finding out how to effectively estimate metastatic risk underlying PDAC is necessary. In this study, we proposed scMetR to evaluate the metastatic risk of tumor cells based on single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data. First, we identified diverse cell types, including tumor cells and other cell types. Next, we grouped tumor cells into three sub-populations according to scMetR score, including metastasis-featuring tumor cells (MFTC), transitional metastatic tumor cells (TransMTC), and conventional tumor cells (ConvTC). We identified metastatic signature genes (MSGs) through comparing MFTC and ConvTC. Functional enrichment analysis showed that up-regulated MSGs were enriched in multiple metastasis-associated pathways. We also found that patients with high expression of up-regulated MSGs had worse prognosis. Spatial mapping of MFTC showed that they are preferentially located in the cancer and duct epithelium region, which was enriched with the ductal cells' associated inflammation. Further, we inferred cell-cell interactions, and observed that interactions of the ADGRE5 signaling pathway, which is associated with metastasis, were increased in MFTC compared to other tumor sub-populations. Finally, we predicted 12 candidate drugs that had the potential to reverse expression of MSGs. Taken together, we have proposed scMetR to estimate metastatic risk in PDAC patients at single-cell resolution which might facilitate the dissection of tumor heterogeneity.
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Targeting PI3K/AKT/mTOR Signaling Pathway in Pancreatic Cancer: From Molecular to Clinical Aspects. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231710132. [PMID: 36077529 PMCID: PMC9456549 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231710132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Although pancreatic cancer (PC) was considered in the past an orphan cancer type due to its low incidence, it may become in the future one of the leading causes of cancer death. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most frequent type of PC, being a highly aggressive malignancy and having a 5-year survival rate of less than 10%. Non-modifiable (family history, age, genetic susceptibility) and modifiable (smoking, alcohol, acute and chronic pancreatitis, diabetes mellitus, intestinal microbiota) risk factors are involved in PC pathogenesis. Chronic inflammation induced by various factors plays crucial roles in PC development from initiation to metastasis. In multiple malignant conditions such as PC, cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors activate the class I phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) (PI3K/AKT/mTOR) signaling pathway, which plays key roles in cell growth, survival, proliferation, metabolism, and motility. Currently, mTOR, AKT, and PI3K inhibitors are used in clinical studies. Moreover, PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitors are being tested in vitro and in vivo with promising results for PC patients. The main aim of this review is to present PC incidence, risk factors, tumor microenvironment development, and PI3K/AKT/mTOR dysregulation and inhibitors used in clinical, in vivo, and in vitro studies.
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Rudloff U. Emerging kinase inhibitors for the treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Expert Opin Emerg Drugs 2022; 27:345-368. [PMID: 36250721 PMCID: PMC9793333 DOI: 10.1080/14728214.2022.2134346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest solid organ cancers. In the absence of specific warning symptoms pancreatic cancer is diagnosed notoriously late. Current systemic chemotherapy regimens extend survival by a mere few months. With the advances in genetic, proteomic, and immunological profiling there is strong rationale to test kinase inhibitors to improve outcome. AREAS COVERED This review article provides a comprehensive summary of approved treatments and past, present, and future developments of kinase inhibitors in pancreatic cancer. Emerging roles of protein kinase inhibitors are discussed in the context of the unique stroma, the lack of high-prevalence therapeutic targets and rapid emergence of acquired resistance, novel immuno-oncology kinase targets, and recent medicinal chemistry advances. EXPERT OPINION Due to the to-date frequent failure of protein kinase inhibitors indiscriminately administered to unselected pancreatic cancer patients, there is a shift toward the development of these agents in molecularly defined subgroups which are more likely to respond. The development of accurate biomarkers to select patients who are the best candidates based on a detailed understanding of mechanism of action, pro-survival roles, and mediation of resistance of targeted kinases will be critical for the future development of protein kinase inhibitors in this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Udo Rudloff
- Rare Tumor Initiative, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
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11
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Lei P, Zhang J, Liao P, Ren C, Wang J, Wang Y. Current progress and novel strategies that target CDK12 for drug discovery. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 240:114603. [PMID: 35868123 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
CDK12 is a cyclin-dependent kinase that plays critical roles in DNA replication, transcription, mRNA splicing, and DNA damage repair. CDK12 genomic changes, including mutation, amplification, deletion, and fusion, lead to various cancers, such as colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, and ovarian cancer. An increasing number of CDK12 inhibitors have been reported since CDK12 was identified as a biomarker and cancer therapeutic target. A major challenge lies in that CDK12 and CDK13 share highly similar sequences, which leads to great difficulties in the development of highly selective CDK12 inhibitors. In recent years, great efforts were made in developing selective CDK12 blockers. Techniques including PROTAC and molecular glue degraders were also applied to facilitate their development. Also, the drug combination strategy of CDK12 small molecule inhibitors were studied. This review discusses the latest studies on CDK12 inhibitors and analyzes their structure-activity relationships, shedding light on their further development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Lei
- Targeted Tracer Research and Development Laboratory, Institute of Respiratory Health, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, Joint Research Institution of Altitude Health, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China; State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Jifa Zhang
- Targeted Tracer Research and Development Laboratory, Institute of Respiratory Health, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, Joint Research Institution of Altitude Health, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China; State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China; Tianfu Jincheng Laboratory, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Peiyu Liao
- School of Pharmacy, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, 610500, Sichuan, China
| | - Changyu Ren
- Department of Pharmacy, Chengdu Fifth People's Hospital, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China
| | - Jiaxing Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, 38163, Tennessee, United States
| | - Yuxi Wang
- Targeted Tracer Research and Development Laboratory, Institute of Respiratory Health, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, Joint Research Institution of Altitude Health, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China; State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China; Tianfu Jincheng Laboratory, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China.
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12
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Richardson DS, Spehar JM, Han DT, Chakravarthy PA, Sizemore ST. The RAL Enigma: Distinct Roles of RALA and RALB in Cancer. Cells 2022; 11:cells11101645. [PMID: 35626682 PMCID: PMC9139244 DOI: 10.3390/cells11101645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
RALA and RALB are highly homologous small G proteins belonging to the RAS superfamily. Like other small GTPases, the RALs are molecular switches that can be toggled between inactive GDP-bound and active GTP-bound states to regulate diverse and critical cellular functions such as vesicle trafficking, filopodia formation, mitochondrial fission, and cytokinesis. The RAL paralogs are activated and inactivated by a shared set of guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) and utilize similar sets of downstream effectors. In addition to their important roles in normal cell biology, the RALs are known to be critical mediators of cancer cell survival, invasion, migration, and metastasis. However, despite their substantial similarities, the RALs often display striking functional disparities in cancer. RALA and RALB can have redundant, unique, or even antagonistic functions depending on cancer type. The molecular basis for these discrepancies remains an important unanswered question in the field of cancer biology. In this review we examine the functions of the RAL paralogs in normal cellular physiology and cancer biology with special consideration provided to situations where the roles of RALA and RALB are non-redundant.
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Nelson LJ, Castro KE, Xu B, Li J, Dinh NB, Thompson JM, Woytash J, Kipp KR, Razorenova OV. Synthetic lethality of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor Dinaciclib with VHL-deficiency allows for selective targeting of clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Cell Cycle 2022; 21:1103-1119. [PMID: 35240916 PMCID: PMC9037521 DOI: 10.1080/15384101.2022.2041783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CC-RCC) remains one of the most deadly forms of kidney cancer despite recent advancements in targeted therapeutics, including tyrosine kinase and immune checkpoint inhibitors. Unfortunately, these therapies have not been able to show better than a 16% complete response rate. In this study we evaluated a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, Dinaciclib, as a potential new targeted therapeutic for CC-RCC. In vitro, Dinaciclib showed anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects on CC-RCC cell lines in Cell Titer Glo, Crystal Violet, FACS-based cell cycle analysis, and TUNEL assays. Additionally, these responses were accompanied by a reduction in phospho-Rb and pro-survival MCL-1 cell signaling responses, as well as the induction of caspase 3 and PARP cleavage. In vivo, Dinaciclib efficiently inhibited primary tumor growth in an orthotopic, patient-derived xenograft-based CC-RCC mouse model. Importantly, Dinaciclib targeted both CD105+ cancer stem cells (CSCs) and CD105− non-CSCs in vivo. Moreover, normal cell lines, as well as a CC-RCC cell line with re-expressed von-Hippel Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor gene, were protected from Dinaciclib-induced cytotoxicity when not actively dividing, indicating an effective therapeutic window due to synthetic lethality of Dinaciclib treatment with VHL loss. Thus, Dinaciclib represents a novel potential therapeutic for CC-RCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke J Nelson
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Kyleen E Castro
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Binzhi Xu
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Junyi Li
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Nguyen B Dinh
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Jordan M Thompson
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Jordan Woytash
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | | | - Olga V Razorenova
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
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14
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Rajpurohit T, Bhattacharya S. Moving Towards Dawn: KRas Signaling and Treatment in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. Curr Mol Pharmacol 2022; 15:904-928. [PMID: 35088684 DOI: 10.2174/1874467215666220128161647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
"Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC)" is robust, nearly clueless, and all-around deadly among all tumors. Below 10 %, the general 5-year endurance period has remained adamantly unaltered in the last 30 years, regardless of enormous clinical and therapeutic endeavors. The yearly number of deaths is more than the number of recently analyzed cases. Not a classic one, but "Carbohydrate Antigen CA19- 9" remains the prevailing tool for diagnosis. MicroRNAs and non-invasive techniques are now incorporated for the effective prognosis of PDAC than just CA19-9. Mutated "Rat sarcoma virus Ras" conformation "V-Ki-ras2 Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog KRas" is 95 % accountable for PDAC, and its active (GTP-bound) formation activates signaling cascade comprising "Rapidly accelerated fibrosarcoma Raf"/"Mitogen-activated protein kinase MEK"/ "Extracellular signal-regulated kinase ERK" with "Phosphoinositide 3-kinase PI3K"/ "protein kinase B Akt"/ "mammalian target of rapamycin mTOR" pathways. KRas has acquired the label of 'undruggable' since the crosstalk in the nexus of pathways compensates for Raf and PI3K signaling cascade blocking. It is arduous to totally regulate KRascoordinated PDAC with traditional medicaments like "gemcitabine GEM" plus nabpaclitaxel/ FOLFIRINOX. For long-haul accomplishments aiming at KRas, future endeavors should be directed to combinatorial methodologies to adequately block KRas pathways at different standpoints. Currently they are contributing to healing PDAC. In this review article, we outline the function of KRas in carcinogenesis in PDAC, its signaling cascade, former techniques utilized in hindering Kras, current and future possibilities for targeting Kras.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tarun Rajpurohit
- Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy & Technology Management, SVKM'S NMIMS Deemed-to-be University, Shirpur, Maharashtra 425405, India
| | - Sankha Bhattacharya
- Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy & Technology Management, SVKM'S NMIMS Deemed-to-be University, Shirpur, Maharashtra 425405, India
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15
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Targeting PI3K Pathway in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: Rationale and Progress. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13174434. [PMID: 34503244 PMCID: PMC8430624 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13174434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Revised: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains among the deadliest solid tumors that remain treatment-refractory and show a dismal prognosis. More than 90% of PDAC tumors harbor mutations in the K-Ras that exert a strong pro-tumorigenic effect by activating several downstream effector pathways, including phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt. The role of frequently activated PI3K/Akt pathway in promoting PDAC aggressiveness is well established. Therapeutic approaches targeting PI3K and downstream signaling components in different cellular compartments, including tumor, stromal and immune cells, have directly impacted the tumor burden in this cancer type. Our previous work has demonstrated that targeting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway reduced tumor growth and improved survival in the genetic mouse model of PDAC. Here, we discuss the significance of targeting PI3K signaling and the biological impact of PI3K inhibition in modulating the tumor-stromal immune crosstalk within the microenvironment of pancreatic cancer. Furthermore, this review updates on the current challenges involving the therapeutic implications of targeting this pathway in PDAC.
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16
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Chu Q, Wang L, Zhang J, Wang W, Wang Y. CDK5 positively regulates Notch1 signaling in pancreatic cancer cells by phosphorylation. Cancer Med 2021; 10:3689-3699. [PMID: 33960694 PMCID: PMC8178504 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.3916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Revised: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The marked overexpression of cyclin‐dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) or Notch1 receptor, which plays critical roles in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) development, has been detected in numerous PDAC cell lines and tissues. Although, a previous study has demonstrated that CDK5 inhibition disrupts Notch1 functions in human umbilical vein endothelial cells, the mechanism underlying Notch1 activation regulated by CDK5 remains unclear. Herein, we identified a physical interaction between CDK5 and Notch1 in PDAC cells, with the Notch1 peptide phosphorylated by CDK5/p25 kinase. CDK5 blockade resulted in the profound inhibition of Notch signaling. Accordingly, CDK5 inhibition sensitized PDAC cell proliferation and migration following Notch inhibition. In conclusion, CDK5 positively regulates Notch1 function via phosphorylation, which in turn promotes cell proliferation and migration. The combinational inhibition of CDK5 and Notch signaling may be an effective strategy in the treatment of PDAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiaoyun Chu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Liyong Wang
- Core Facilities for Molecular Biology, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Jie Zhang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Clinical Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Centre for Precision Health, School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia
| | - Youxin Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Clinical Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
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17
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CDK12: a potential therapeutic target in cancer. Drug Discov Today 2020; 25:2257-2267. [PMID: 33038524 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2020.09.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Revised: 08/30/2020] [Accepted: 09/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 12 engages in diversified biological functions, from transcription, post-transcriptional modification, cell cycle, and translation to cellular proliferation. Moreover, it regulates the expression of cancer-related genes involved in DNA damage response (DDR) and replication, which are responsible for maintaining genomic stability. CDK12 emerges as an oncogene or tumor suppressor in different cellular contexts, where its dysregulation results in tumorigenesis. Current CDK12 inhibitors are nonselective, which impedes the process of pharmacological target validation and drug development. Herein, we discuss the latest understanding of the biological roles of CDK12 in cancers and provide molecular analyses of CDK12 inhibitors to guide the rational design of selective inhibitors.
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18
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Kim YM, Ko SH, Shin YI, Kim Y, Kim T, Jung J, Lee SY, Kim NG, Park KJ, Ryu JH. Light-emitting diode irradiation induces AKT/mTOR-mediated apoptosis in human pancreatic cancer cells and xenograft mouse model. J Cell Physiol 2020; 236:1362-1374. [PMID: 32749680 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.29943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2020] [Revised: 06/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The beneficial effects of light-emitting diode (LED) irradiation have been reported in various pathologies, including cancer. However, its effect in pancreatic cancer cells remains unclear. Herein, we demonstrated that blue LED of 460 nm regulated pancreatic cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis by suppressing the expression of apoptosis-related factors, such as mutant p53 and B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), and decreasing the expression of RAC-β serine/threonine kinase 2 (AKT2), the phosphorylation of protein kinase B (AKT), and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). Blue LED irradiation also increased the levels of cleaved poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and caspase-3 in pancreatic cancer cells, while it suppressed AKT2 expression and inhibited tumor growth in xenograft tumor tissues. In conclusion, blue LED irradiation suppressed pancreatic cancer cell and tumor growth by regulating AKT/mTOR signaling. Our findings indicated that blue LEDs could be used as a nonpharmacological treatment for pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Young Mi Kim
- Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Sung-Hwa Ko
- Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Republic of Korea.,Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong-Il Shin
- Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Republic of Korea.,Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeonye Kim
- Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Taehyung Kim
- Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaehoon Jung
- Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang-Yull Lee
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Nam Gyun Kim
- Medical Research Center of Color Seven, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyoung-Jun Park
- Medical Research Center of Color Seven, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji Hyeon Ryu
- Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
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19
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Murphy AG, Zahurak M, Shah M, Weekes CD, Hansen A, Siu LL, Spreafico A, LoConte N, Anders NM, Miles T, Rudek MA, Doyle LA, Nelkin B, Maitra A, Azad NS. A Phase I Study of Dinaciclib in Combination With MK-2206 in Patients With Advanced Pancreatic Cancer. Clin Transl Sci 2020; 13:1178-1188. [PMID: 32738099 PMCID: PMC7719383 DOI: 10.1111/cts.12802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Accepted: 04/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The combination of drugs targeting Ral and PI3K/AKT signaling has antitumor efficacy in preclinical models of pancreatic cancer. We combined dinaciclib (small molecule cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor with MK-2206 (Akt inhibitor) in patients with previously treated/metastatic pancreatic cancer. Patients were treated with dinaciclib (6-12 mg/m2 i.v.) and MK-2206 (60-135 mg p.o.) weekly. Tumor biopsies were performed to measure pAKT, pERK, and Ki67 at baseline and after one completed cycle (dose level 2 and beyond). Thirty-nine patients participated in the study. The maximum tolerated doses were dinaciclib 9 mg/m2 and MK-2206 135 mg. Treatment-related grade 3 and 4 toxicities included neutropenia, lymphopenia, anemia, hyperglycemia, hyponatremia, and leukopenia. No objectives responses were observed. Four patients (10%) had stable disease as their best response. At the recommended dose, median survival was 2.2 months. Survival rates at 6 and 12 months were 11% and 5%, respectively. There was a nonsignificant reduction in pAKT composite scores between pretreatment and post-treatment biopsies (mean 0.76 vs. 0.63; P = 0.635). The combination of dinaciclib and MK-2206 was a safe regimen in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer, although without clinical benefit, possibly due to not attaining biologically effective doses. Given the strong preclinical evidence of Ral and AKT inhibition, further studies with better tolerated agents should be considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian G Murphy
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Marianna Zahurak
- Department of Oncology, Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Mirat Shah
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Aaron Hansen
- Division of Medical Oncology and Haematology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lillian L Siu
- Division of Medical Oncology and Haematology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Anna Spreafico
- Division of Medical Oncology and Haematology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Noelle LoConte
- University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Nicole M Anders
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Analytical Pharmacology Core, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Tearra Miles
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Michelle A Rudek
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Analytical Pharmacology Core, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - L Austin Doyle
- Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Barry Nelkin
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Anirban Maitra
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Nilofer S Azad
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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20
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Strapcova S, Takacova M, Csaderova L, Martinelli P, Lukacikova L, Gal V, Kopacek J, Svastova E. Clinical and Pre-Clinical Evidence of Carbonic Anhydrase IX in Pancreatic Cancer and Its High Expression in Pre-Cancerous Lesions. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:E2005. [PMID: 32707920 PMCID: PMC7464147 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12082005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Hypoxia is a common phenomenon that occurs in most solid tumors. Regardless of tumor origin, the evolution of a hypoxia-adapted phenotype is critical for invasive cancer development. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is also characterized by hypoxia, desmoplasia, and the presence of necrosis, predicting poor outcome. Carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) is one of the most strict hypoxia regulated genes which plays a key role in the adaptation of cancer cells to hypoxia and acidosis. Here, we summarize clinical data showing that CAIX expression is associated with tumor necrosis, vascularization, expression of Frizzled-1, mucins, or proteins involved in glycolysis, and inevitably, poor prognosis of pancreatic cancer patients. We also describe the transcriptional regulation of CAIX in relation to signaling pathways activated in pancreatic cancers. A large part deals with the preclinical evidence supporting the relevance of CAIX in processes leading to the aggressive behavior of pancreatic tumors. Furthermore, we focus on CAIX occurrence in pre-cancerous lesions, and for the first time, we describe CAIX expression within intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasia. Our review concludes with a detailed account of clinical trials implicating that treatment consisting of conventionally used therapies combined with CAIX targeting could result in an improved anti-cancer response in pancreatic cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabina Strapcova
- Department of Tumor Biology, Institute of Virology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 84505 Bratislava, Slovakia; (S.S.); (M.T.); (L.C.); (L.L.); (J.K.)
| | - Martina Takacova
- Department of Tumor Biology, Institute of Virology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 84505 Bratislava, Slovakia; (S.S.); (M.T.); (L.C.); (L.L.); (J.K.)
| | - Lucia Csaderova
- Department of Tumor Biology, Institute of Virology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 84505 Bratislava, Slovakia; (S.S.); (M.T.); (L.C.); (L.L.); (J.K.)
| | - Paola Martinelli
- Institute of Cancer Research, Clinic of Internal Medicine I, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria;
- Cancer Cell Signaling, Boehringer-Ingelheim RCV Vienna, A-1121 Vienna, Austria
| | - Lubomira Lukacikova
- Department of Tumor Biology, Institute of Virology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 84505 Bratislava, Slovakia; (S.S.); (M.T.); (L.C.); (L.L.); (J.K.)
| | - Viliam Gal
- Alpha Medical Pathology, Ruzinovska 6, 82606 Bratislava, Slovakia;
| | - Juraj Kopacek
- Department of Tumor Biology, Institute of Virology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 84505 Bratislava, Slovakia; (S.S.); (M.T.); (L.C.); (L.L.); (J.K.)
| | - Eliska Svastova
- Department of Tumor Biology, Institute of Virology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 84505 Bratislava, Slovakia; (S.S.); (M.T.); (L.C.); (L.L.); (J.K.)
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21
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Dong G, Chen L, Zhang J, Liu T, Du L, Sheng C, Li M. Discovery of Turn-On Fluorescent Probes for Detecting PDEδ Protein in Living Cells and Tumor Slices. Anal Chem 2020; 92:9516-9522. [PMID: 32571022 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.0c00335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The first small-molecule fluorescent turn-on probes for detecting PDEδ protein were rationally designed, showing reasonable fluorescent properties and the fluorescent ability has been applied for visualization of the PDEδ protein in living cells and at tissue levels. The qPCR results showed that the mRNA expression of KRAS, PDEδ, AKT1, MAPK1, MEK7, RAF1, and mTOR were downregulated by probes 1-3 through PI3K/AKT/mTOR and MAPK signal pathways. The probes also can downregulate the protein level of pErk and tErk. Therefore, these small-molecule fluorescent probes are expected to be used in the screening of antipancreatic cancer drugs targeting the PDEδ protein, as well as in obtaining a better understanding of the pathological and physiological roles of PDEδ protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaopan Dong
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (MOE), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China
| | - Long Chen
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Jing Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Tingting Liu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (MOE), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China.,Institute of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Taian, Shandong 271000, China
| | - Lupei Du
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (MOE), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China
| | - Chunquan Sheng
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Minyong Li
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (MOE), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China
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22
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Eresen A, Yang J, Shangguan J, Li Y, Hu S, Sun C, Yaghmai V, Benson III AB, Zhang Z. Prediction of therapeutic outcome and survival in a transgenic mouse model of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma treated with dendritic cell vaccination or CDK inhibitor using MRI texture: a feasibility study. Am J Transl Res 2020; 12:2201-2211. [PMID: 32509212 PMCID: PMC7270001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
There is a lack of a well-established approach for assessment of early treatment outcomes for modern therapies for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) e.g. dinaciclib or dendritic cell (DC) vaccination. Here, we developed multivariate models using MRI texture features to detect treatment effects following dinaciclib drug or DC vaccine therapy in a transgenic mouse model of PDAC including 21 LSL-KrasG12D ; LSL-Trp53R172H ; Pdx-1-Cre (KPC) mice used as untreated control subjects (n=8) or treated with dinaciclib (n=7) or DC vaccine (n=6). Support vector machines (SVM) technique was performed to build a linear classifier with three variables for detection of tumor tissue changes following drug or vaccine treatments. Besides, multivariate regression models were generated with five variables to predict survival behavior and histopathological tumor markers (Fibrosis, CK19, and Ki67). The diagnostic performance was evaluated using accuracy, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and decision curve analyses. The regression models were evaluated with adjusted r-squared (Radj 2). SVM classifier successfully distinguished changes in tumor tissue with an accuracy of 95.24% and AUC of 0.93. The multivariate models generated with five variables were strongly associated with histopathological tumor markers, fibrosis (Radj 2=0.82, P<0.001), CK19 (Radj 2=0.92, P<0.001) and Ki67 (Radj 2=0.97, P<0.001). Furthermore, the multivariate regression model successfully predicted survival of KPC mice by interpreting tumor characteristics from MRI data (Radj 2=0.91, P<0.001). The results demonstrated that MRI texture features had great potential to generate diagnosis and prognosis models for monitoring early treatment response following dinaciclib drug or DC vaccine treatment and also predicting histopathological tumor markers and long-term clinical outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aydin Eresen
- Department of Radiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern UniversityChicago, IL, USA
| | - Jia Yang
- Department of Radiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern UniversityChicago, IL, USA
| | - Junjie Shangguan
- Department of Radiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern UniversityChicago, IL, USA
| | - Yu Li
- Department of Radiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern UniversityChicago, IL, USA
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Medical College, Qingdao UniversityQingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Su Hu
- Department of Radiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern UniversityChicago, IL, USA
- Department of Radiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow UniversitySuzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Chong Sun
- Department of Radiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern UniversityChicago, IL, USA
- Department of Orthopaedics, Affiliated Hospital of Medical College, Qingdao UniversityQingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Vahid Yaghmai
- Department of Radiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern UniversityChicago, IL, USA
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern UniversityChicago, IL, USA
- Department of Radiological Sciences, School of Medicine, University of CaliforniaIrvine, CA, USA
| | - Al B Benson III
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern UniversityChicago, IL, USA
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern UniversityChicago, IL, USA
| | - Zhuoli Zhang
- Department of Radiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern UniversityChicago, IL, USA
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern UniversityChicago, IL, USA
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23
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Ke C, Hou H, Li J, Su K, Huang C, Lin Y, Lu Z, Du Z, Tan W, Yuan Z. Extracellular Vesicle Delivery of TRAIL Eradicates Resistant Tumor Growth in Combination with CDK Inhibition by Dinaciclib. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:E1157. [PMID: 32375399 PMCID: PMC7281120 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12051157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Revised: 03/13/2020] [Accepted: 05/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) is a promising anti-cancer agent that rapidly induces apoptosis in cancer cells. Unfortunately, the clinical application of recombinant TRAIL (rTRAIL) has been hampered by its common cancer resistance. Naturally TRAIL is delivered as a membrane-bound form by extracellular vesicles (EV-T) and is highly efficient for apoptosis induction. SCH727965 (dinaciclib), a potent cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor, was shown to synergize with other drugs to get better efficacy. However, it has never been investigated if dinaciclib coordinates with EV-T to enhance therapeutic results. This study explores the potential of combination therapy with EV-T and dinaciclib for cancer treatment. EV-T was successfully derived from human TRAIL transduced cells and shown to partially overcome resistance of A549 cells. Dinaciclib was shown to drastically enhance EV-T killing effects on cancer lines that express good levels of death receptor (DR) 5, which are associated with suppression of CDK1, CDK9 and anti-apoptotic proteins. Combination therapy with low doses of EV-T and dinaciclib induced strikingly enhanced apoptosis and led to complete regression in A549 tumors without any adverse side effects observed in a subcutaneous xenograft model. Tumor infiltration of mass NK cells and macrophages was also observed. These observations thus indicate that the combination of EV-T with dinaciclib is a potential novel therapy for highly effective and safe cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changhong Ke
- Institute of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 51006, China; (C.K.); (H.H.); (K.S.); (C.H.); (Y.L.); (Z.L.); (Z.D.); (W.T.)
| | - Huan Hou
- Institute of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 51006, China; (C.K.); (H.H.); (K.S.); (C.H.); (Y.L.); (Z.L.); (Z.D.); (W.T.)
| | - Jiayu Li
- School of Industrial Design and Ceramic Art of Foshan University, Foshan 528000 China;
| | - Kui Su
- Institute of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 51006, China; (C.K.); (H.H.); (K.S.); (C.H.); (Y.L.); (Z.L.); (Z.D.); (W.T.)
| | - Chaohong Huang
- Institute of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 51006, China; (C.K.); (H.H.); (K.S.); (C.H.); (Y.L.); (Z.L.); (Z.D.); (W.T.)
| | - Yue Lin
- Institute of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 51006, China; (C.K.); (H.H.); (K.S.); (C.H.); (Y.L.); (Z.L.); (Z.D.); (W.T.)
| | - Zhiqiang Lu
- Institute of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 51006, China; (C.K.); (H.H.); (K.S.); (C.H.); (Y.L.); (Z.L.); (Z.D.); (W.T.)
| | - Zhiyun Du
- Institute of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 51006, China; (C.K.); (H.H.); (K.S.); (C.H.); (Y.L.); (Z.L.); (Z.D.); (W.T.)
| | - Wen Tan
- Institute of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 51006, China; (C.K.); (H.H.); (K.S.); (C.H.); (Y.L.); (Z.L.); (Z.D.); (W.T.)
| | - Zhengqiang Yuan
- Institute of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 51006, China; (C.K.); (H.H.); (K.S.); (C.H.); (Y.L.); (Z.L.); (Z.D.); (W.T.)
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Yang J, Hu S, Shangguan J, Eresen A, Li Y, Ma Q, Yaghmai V, Benson III AB, Zhang Z. Dinaciclib prolongs survival in the LSL-KrasG12D/+ ; LSL-Trp53R172H/+ ; Pdx-1-Cre (KPC) transgenic murine models of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Am J Transl Res 2020; 12:1031-1043. [PMID: 32269732 PMCID: PMC7137051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Accepted: 03/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Dinaciclib is a small molecule cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor with the potential to treat multiple cancers. To better understand its cytotoxic action in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), we evaluated dinaciclib therapeutic effects in the transgenic mouse model (LSL-KrasG12D/+ ; LSL-Trp53R172H/+ ; Pdx-1-Cre mice; KPC mice). Tumor growth and microenvironment were dynamically monitored by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Dinaciclib therapy significantly delayed tumor progression (P < 0.001) and prolonged survival (P = 0.007) in KPC mice. In vitro assays showed that dinaciclib exerted antiproliferative effects on PDAC cells by increasing surface calreticulin expression and release of ATP. Dinaciclib treatment inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis in KPC tumor as assessed by Ki67 and cleaved caspase 3, respectively. Particularly, the tumor infiltrating CD8+ T cells were increased after dinaciclib treatment in KPC mice. Additionally, the mean apparent diffusion coefficient values of KPC tumor calculated from diffusion weighted MR images were significantly lower after dinaciclib treatment (P = 0.033). These finding suggest that dinaciclib as a single agent can inhibit tumor growth and improve the overall survival in KPC mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Yang
- Department of Radiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern UniversityChicago, IL, USA
| | - Su Hu
- Department of Radiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern UniversityChicago, IL, USA
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow UniversitySuzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Junjie Shangguan
- Department of Radiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern UniversityChicago, IL, USA
| | - Aydin Eresen
- Department of Radiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern UniversityChicago, IL, USA
| | - Yu Li
- Department of Radiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern UniversityChicago, IL, USA
- Department of General Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao UniversityQingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Quanhong Ma
- Department of Radiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern UniversityChicago, IL, USA
| | - Vahid Yaghmai
- Department of Radiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern UniversityChicago, IL, USA
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern UniversityChicago, IL, USA
| | - Al B Benson III
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern UniversityChicago, IL, USA
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of MedicineChicago, IL, USA
| | - Zhuoli Zhang
- Department of Radiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern UniversityChicago, IL, USA
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern UniversityChicago, IL, USA
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25
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Leal-Esteban LC, Fajas L. Cell cycle regulators in cancer cell metabolism. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2020; 1866:165715. [PMID: 32035102 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2020.165715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2019] [Revised: 01/09/2020] [Accepted: 01/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Cancer proliferation and progression involves altered metabolic pathways as a result of continuous demand for energy and nutrients. In the last years, cell cycle regulators have been involved in the control of metabolic processes, such as glucose and insulin pathways and lipid synthesis, in addition to their canonical function controlling cell cycle progression. Here we describe recent data demonstrating the role of cell cycle regulators in the metabolic control especially in studies performed in cancer models. Moreover, we discuss the importance of these findings in the context of current cancer therapies to provide an overview of the relevance of targeting metabolism using inhibitors of the cell cycle regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia C Leal-Esteban
- Metabolism and Cancer Laboratory, Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Lluis Fajas
- Metabolism and Cancer Laboratory, Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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26
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Wu HZ, Xiao JQ, Xiao SS, Cheng Y. KRAS: A Promising Therapeutic Target for Cancer Treatment. Curr Top Med Chem 2019; 19:2081-2097. [PMID: 31486755 DOI: 10.2174/1568026619666190905164144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2019] [Revised: 07/19/2019] [Accepted: 07/23/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Kirsten rat sarcoma 2 viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) is the most commonly mutated oncogene in human cancer. The developments of many cancers depend on sustained expression and signaling of KRAS, which makes KRAS a high-priority therapeutic target. Scientists have not successfully developed drugs that target KRAS, although efforts have been made last three decades. In this review, we highlight the emerging experimental strategies of impairing KRAS membrane localization and the direct targeting of KRAS. We also conclude the combinatorial therapies and RNA interference technology for the treatment of KRAS mutant cancers. Moreover, the virtual screening approach to discover novel KRAS inhibitors and synthetic lethality interactors of KRAS are discussed in detail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hai-Zhou Wu
- Xiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China
| | - Jia-Qi Xiao
- Xiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China
| | - Song-Shu Xiao
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China
| | - Yan Cheng
- Xiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China
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PES1 promotes BET inhibitors resistance and cells proliferation through increasing c-Myc expression in pancreatic cancer. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL & CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH : CR 2019; 38:463. [PMID: 31718704 PMCID: PMC6852745 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-019-1466-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Accepted: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Background Overexpressed PES1 promotes carcinogenesis in various types of malignant tumors. However, the biological role and clinical significance of PES1 in pancreatic cancer are still unexplored. Methods The expression level of PES1 in pancreatic cancer cell lines and pancreatic cancer patient samples was determined using Western Blotting analysis, RT-qPCR analysis, immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis of tissue microarray, and the GEPIA web tool. MTS assay, colony formation assay, and xenograft tumor assay were used to evaluate the tumor growth ability of pancreatic cancer cells. Results We established that the expression of PES1 was abnormally increased in pancreatic cancer tissues and led to poor prognosis of pancreatic cancer patients. We also found that PES1 was responsible for promoting cell growth and contributed to bromodomain and cancer cell resistance to extra-terminal (BET) inhibitors in pancreatic cancer. Furthermore, we showed that PES1 interacted with BRD4 to enhance c-Myc expression, which is the primary cause of cancer cell resistance to BET inhibitors in pancreatic cancer. Finally, CDK5 inhibitors were proven to destabilize PES1 and overcome cancer cell resistance to BET inhibitors in pancreatic cancer cells. Conclusions We have shown that PES1 could be one of the promoting factors of tumor growth and a prognosis-related protein of pancreatic cancer. Targeting PES1 with CDK5 inhibitors might help overcome cancer cell resistance to BET inhibitors in pancreatic cancer cells.
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An increased cell cycle gene network determines MEK and Akt inhibitor double resistance in triple-negative breast cancer. Sci Rep 2019; 9:13308. [PMID: 31527768 PMCID: PMC6746778 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-49809-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2018] [Accepted: 08/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer with poor clinical prognosis and limited targeted treatment strategies. Kinase inhibitor screening of a panel of 20 TNBC cell lines uncovered three critical TNBC subgroups: 1) sensitive to only MEK inhibitors; 2) sensitive to only Akt inhibitors; 3) resistant to both MEK/Akt inhibitors. Using genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic datasets of these TNBC cell lines we unravelled molecular features associated with the MEK and Akt drug resistance. MEK inhibitor-resistant TNBC cell lines were discriminated from Akt inhibitor-resistant lines by the presence of PIK3CA/PIK3R1/PTEN mutations, high p-Akt and low p-MEK levels, yet these features could not distinguish double-resistant cells. Gene set enrichment analyses of transcriptomic and proteomic data of the MEK and Akt inhibitor response groups revealed a set of cell cycle-related genes associated with the double-resistant phenotype; these genes were overexpressed in a subset of breast cancer patients. CDK inhibitors targeting the cell cycle programme could overcome the Akt and MEK inhibitor double-resistance. In conclusion, we uncovered molecular features and alternative treatment strategies for TNBC that are double-resistant to Akt and MEK inhibitors.
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Xu J, Huang F, Yao Z, Jia C, Xiong Z, Liang H, Lin N, Deng M. Inhibition of cyclin E1 sensitizes hepatocellular carcinoma cells to regorafenib by mcl-1 suppression. Cell Commun Signal 2019; 17:85. [PMID: 31349793 PMCID: PMC6660968 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-019-0398-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2019] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background To clarify the effects of cylcin E1 expression on HCC tumor progression, we studied the expression of cyclin E1 and inhibitory efficacy of regorafenib and sorafenib in HCC cells, and investigated a potential therapy that combines regorafenib treatment with cyclin E1 inhibition. Methods Western blotting for caspase-3 and Hoechst 33225 staining was used to measure the expression level of apoptosis-related proteins under drug treatment. Results Our results showed that enhanced expression of cyclin E1 after transfection compromised apoptosis in HCC cells induced by regorafenib or sorafenib. Conversely, down-regulation of cyclin E1 gene expression or inhibition of cyclin E1 by the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors dinaciclib (DIN) or flavopiridol sensitized HCC cells to regorafenib and sorafenib by inducing apoptosis. The expression of Mcl-1, which is modulated by STAT3, plays a key role in regulating the therapeutic effects of CDK inhibitors. Xenograft experiments conducted to test the efficacy of regorafenib combined with DIN showed dramatic tumor inhibitory effects due to induction of apoptosis. Our results suggested that the level of cyclin E1 expression in HCCs may be used as a pharmacodynamic biomarker to assess the antitumor effects of regorafenib or sorafenib. Conclusions Combining regorafenib and CDK inhibitors may enhance the clinical efficiency of the treatment of HCCs. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12964-019-0398-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianliang Xu
- Hepatobilliary Surgery Department, The Third affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, No. 600, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Fei Huang
- Anesthesiology Department, The third affiliated hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhicheng Yao
- General surgery, The Third affiliated hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, No. 600, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, 510630, Guangdong, China.
| | - Changchang Jia
- Cell & Gene therapy center, The Third affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen Uuniversity, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhiyong Xiong
- General surgery, The Third affiliated hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, No. 600, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, 510630, Guangdong, China
| | - Hao Liang
- General surgery, The Third affiliated hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, No. 600, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, 510630, Guangdong, China
| | - Nan Lin
- Hepatobilliary Surgery Department, The Third affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, No. 600, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Meihai Deng
- Hepatobilliary Surgery Department, The Third affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, No. 600, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
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30
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Koga Y, Ochiai A. Systematic Review of Patient-Derived Xenograft Models for Preclinical Studies of Anti-Cancer Drugs in Solid Tumors. Cells 2019; 8:cells8050418. [PMID: 31064068 PMCID: PMC6562882 DOI: 10.3390/cells8050418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2019] [Revised: 04/26/2019] [Accepted: 05/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models are used as powerful tools for understanding cancer biology in PDX clinical trials and co-clinical trials. In this systematic review, we focus on PDX clinical trials or co-clinical trials for drug development in solid tumors and summarize the utility of PDX models in the development of anti-cancer drugs, as well as the challenges involved in this approach, following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Recently, the assessment of drug efficacy by PDX clinical and co-clinical trials has become an important method. PDX clinical trials can be used for the development of anti-cancer drugs before clinical trials, with their efficacy assessed by the modified response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (mRECIST). A few dozen cases of PDX models have completed enrollment, and the efficacy of the drugs is assessed by 1 × 1 × 1 or 3 × 1 × 1 approaches in the PDX clinical trials. Furthermore, co-clinical trials can be used for personalized care or precision medicine with the evaluation of a new drug or a novel combination. Several PDX models from patients in clinical trials have been used to assess the efficacy of individual drugs or drug combinations in co-clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshikatsu Koga
- Department of Strategic Programs, Exploratory Oncology Research & Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center, Kashiwa 277-8577, Japan.
| | - Atsushi Ochiai
- Exploratory Oncology Research & Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center, Kashiwa 277-8577, Japan.
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31
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Malagola E, Chen R, Bombardo M, Saponara E, Dentice M, Salvatore D, Reding T, Myers S, Hills AP, Graf R, Sonda S. Local hyperthyroidism promotes pancreatic acinar cell proliferation during acute pancreatitis. J Pathol 2019; 248:217-229. [PMID: 30714146 DOI: 10.1002/path.5247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2018] [Revised: 12/17/2018] [Accepted: 01/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Proliferation of pancreatic acinar cells is a critical process in the pathophysiology of pancreatic diseases, because limited or defective proliferation is associated with organ dysfunction and patient morbidity. In this context, elucidating the signalling pathways that trigger and sustain acinar proliferation is pivotal to develop therapeutic interventions promoting the regenerative process of the organ. In this study we used genetic and pharmacological approaches to manipulate both local and systemic levels of thyroid hormones to elucidate their role in acinar proliferation following caerulein-mediated acute pancreatitis in mice. In addition, molecular mechanisms mediating the effects of thyroid hormones were identified by genetic and pharmacological inactivation of selected signalling pathways.In this study we demonstrated that levels of the thyroid hormone 3,3',5-triiodo-l-thyronine (T3) transiently increased in the pancreas during acute pancreatitis. Moreover, by using genetic and pharmacological approaches to manipulate both local and systemic levels of thyroid hormones, we showed that T3 was required to promote proliferation of pancreatic acinar cells, without affecting the extent of tissue damage or inflammatory infiltration.Finally, upon genetic and pharmacological inactivation of selected signalling pathways, we demonstrated that T3 exerted its mitogenic effect on acinar cells via a tightly controlled action on different molecular effectors, including histone deacetylase, AKT, and TGFβ signalling.In conclusion, our data suggest that local availability of T3 in the pancreas is required to promote acinar cell proliferation and provide the rationale to exploit thyroid hormone signalling to enhance pancreatic regeneration. Copyright © 2019 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ermanno Malagola
- Swiss Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Center, Department of Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Rong Chen
- Swiss Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Center, Department of Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marta Bombardo
- Swiss Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Center, Department of Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Enrica Saponara
- Swiss Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Center, Department of Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Monica Dentice
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Domenico Salvatore
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Theresia Reding
- Swiss Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Center, Department of Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stephen Myers
- School of Health Sciences, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Launceston, Australia
| | - Andrew P Hills
- School of Health Sciences, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Launceston, Australia
| | - Rolf Graf
- Swiss Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Center, Department of Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland.,Center for Integrative Human Physiology (ZIHP), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sabrina Sonda
- Swiss Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Center, Department of Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland.,School of Health Sciences, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Launceston, Australia.,Center for Integrative Human Physiology (ZIHP), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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32
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Conway JRW, Herrmann D, Evans TRJ, Morton JP, Timpson P. Combating pancreatic cancer with PI3K pathway inhibitors in the era of personalised medicine. Gut 2019; 68:742-758. [PMID: 30396902 PMCID: PMC6580874 DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2018-316822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2018] [Revised: 10/02/2018] [Accepted: 10/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is among the most deadly solid tumours. This is due to a generally late-stage diagnosis of a primarily treatment-refractory disease. Several large-scale sequencing and mass spectrometry approaches have identified key drivers of this disease and in doing so highlighted the vast heterogeneity of lower frequency mutations that make clinical trials of targeted agents in unselected patients increasingly futile. There is a clear need for improved biomarkers to guide effective targeted therapies, with biomarker-driven clinical trials for personalised medicine becoming increasingly common in several cancers. Interestingly, many of the aberrant signalling pathways in PDAC rely on downstream signal transduction through the mitogen-activated protein kinase and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) pathways, which has led to the development of several approaches to target these key regulators, primarily as combination therapies. The following review discusses the trend of PDAC therapy towards molecular subtyping for biomarker-driven personalised therapies, highlighting the key pathways under investigation and their relationship to the PI3K pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- James RW Conway
- Garvan Institute of Medical Research & The Kinghorn Cancer Centre, Cancer Division, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - David Herrmann
- Garvan Institute of Medical Research & The Kinghorn Cancer Centre, Cancer Division, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- St Vincent’s Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - TR Jeffry Evans
- Cancer Department, Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, Glasgow, UK
- Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Jennifer P Morton
- Cancer Department, Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, Glasgow, UK
- Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Paul Timpson
- Garvan Institute of Medical Research & The Kinghorn Cancer Centre, Cancer Division, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- St Vincent’s Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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García-Reyes B, Kretz AL, Ruff JP, von Karstedt S, Hillenbrand A, Knippschild U, Henne-Bruns D, Lemke J. The Emerging Role of Cyclin-Dependent Kinases (CDKs) in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:E3219. [PMID: 30340359 PMCID: PMC6214075 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19103219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2018] [Revised: 09/27/2018] [Accepted: 10/11/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The family of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) has critical functions in cell cycle regulation and controlling of transcriptional elongation. Moreover, dysregulated CDKs have been linked to cancer initiation and progression. Pharmacological CDK inhibition has recently emerged as a novel and promising approach in cancer therapy. This idea is of particular interest to combat pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), a cancer entity with a dismal prognosis which is owed mainly to PDAC's resistance to conventional therapies. Here, we review the current knowledge of CDK biology, its role in cancer and the therapeutic potential to target CDKs as a novel treatment strategy for PDAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Balbina García-Reyes
- Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Ulm University Hospital, Albert-Einstein-Allee 23, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
| | - Anna-Laura Kretz
- Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Ulm University Hospital, Albert-Einstein-Allee 23, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
| | - Jan-Philipp Ruff
- Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Ulm University Hospital, Albert-Einstein-Allee 23, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
| | - Silvia von Karstedt
- Department of Translational Genomics, University Hospital Cologne, Weyertal 115b, 50931 Cologne, Germany.
- Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Response in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Straße 26, 50931 Cologne, Germany.
| | - Andreas Hillenbrand
- Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Ulm University Hospital, Albert-Einstein-Allee 23, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
| | - Uwe Knippschild
- Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Ulm University Hospital, Albert-Einstein-Allee 23, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
| | - Doris Henne-Bruns
- Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Ulm University Hospital, Albert-Einstein-Allee 23, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
| | - Johannes Lemke
- Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Ulm University Hospital, Albert-Einstein-Allee 23, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
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Zoranovic T, Manent J, Willoughby L, Matos de Simoes R, La Marca JE, Golenkina S, Cuiping X, Gruber S, Angjeli B, Kanitz EE, Cronin SJF, Neely GG, Wernitznig A, Humbert PO, Simpson KJ, Mitsiades CS, Richardson HE, Penninger JM. A genome-wide Drosophila epithelial tumorigenesis screen identifies Tetraspanin 29Fb as an evolutionarily conserved suppressor of Ras-driven cancer. PLoS Genet 2018; 14:e1007688. [PMID: 30325918 PMCID: PMC6203380 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2018] [Revised: 10/26/2018] [Accepted: 09/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Oncogenic mutations in the small GTPase Ras contribute to ~30% of human cancers. However, Ras mutations alone are insufficient for tumorigenesis, therefore it is paramount to identify cooperating cancer-relevant signaling pathways. We devised an in vivo near genome-wide, functional screen in Drosophila and discovered multiple novel, evolutionarily-conserved pathways controlling Ras-driven epithelial tumorigenesis. Human gene orthologs of the fly hits were significantly downregulated in thousands of primary tumors, revealing novel prognostic markers for human epithelial tumors. Of the top 100 candidate tumor suppressor genes, 80 were validated in secondary Drosophila assays, identifying many known cancer genes and multiple novel candidate genes that cooperate with Ras-driven tumorigenesis. Low expression of the confirmed hits significantly correlated with the KRASG12 mutation status and poor prognosis in pancreatic cancer. Among the novel top 80 candidate cancer genes, we mechanistically characterized the function of the top hit, the Tetraspanin family member Tsp29Fb, revealing that Tsp29Fb regulates EGFR signaling, epithelial architecture and restrains tumor growth and invasion. Our functional Drosophila screen uncovers multiple novel and evolutionarily conserved epithelial cancer genes, and experimentally confirmed Tsp29Fb as a key regulator of EGFR/Ras induced epithelial tumor growth and invasion. Cancer involves the cooperative interaction of many gene mutations. The Ras signaling pathway is upregulated in many human cancers, but upregulated Ras signaling alone is not sufficient to induce malignant tumors. We have undertaken a genome-wide genetic screen using a transgenic RNAi library in the vinegar fly, Drosophila melanogaster, to identify tumor suppressor genes that cooperate with the Ras oncogene (RasV12) in conferring overgrown invasive tumors. We stratified the hits by analyzing the expression of human orthologs of these genes in human epithelial cancers, revealing genes that were strongly downregulated in human cancer. By conducting secondary genetic interaction tests, we validated 80 of the top 100 genes. Pathway analysis of these genes revealed that 55 fell into known pathways involved in human cancer, whereas 25 were unique genes. We then confirmed the tumor suppressor properties of one of these genes, Tsp29Fb, encoding a Tetraspanin membrane protein, and showed that Tsp29Fb functions as a tumor suppressor by inhibiting Ras signaling and by maintaining epithelial cell polarity. Altogether, our study has revealed novel Ras-cooperating tumor suppressors in Drosophila and suggests that these genes may also be involved in human cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara Zoranovic
- IMBA, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Science, Campus Vienna BioCentre, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jan Manent
- Research Division, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry & Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Lee Willoughby
- Research Division, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ricardo Matos de Simoes
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - John E. La Marca
- Department of Biochemistry & Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sofya Golenkina
- Department of Biochemistry & Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Xia Cuiping
- IMBA, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Science, Campus Vienna BioCentre, Vienna, Austria
| | - Susanne Gruber
- IMBA, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Science, Campus Vienna BioCentre, Vienna, Austria
| | - Belinda Angjeli
- IMBA, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Science, Campus Vienna BioCentre, Vienna, Austria
| | - Elisabeth Eva Kanitz
- IMBA, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Science, Campus Vienna BioCentre, Vienna, Austria
| | - Shane J. F. Cronin
- IMBA, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Science, Campus Vienna BioCentre, Vienna, Austria
| | - G. Gregory Neely
- IMBA, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Science, Campus Vienna BioCentre, Vienna, Austria
- The Charles Perkins Centre, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - Patrick O. Humbert
- Research Division, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry & Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, Department of Anatomy & Neuroscience, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, and Department of Clinical Pathology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kaylene J. Simpson
- Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, Department of Anatomy & Neuroscience, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, and Department of Clinical Pathology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Victorian Center for Functional Genomics, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Constantine S. Mitsiades
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Helena E. Richardson
- Research Division, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry & Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, Department of Anatomy & Neuroscience, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, and Department of Clinical Pathology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- * E-mail: (HER); (JMP)
| | - Josef M. Penninger
- IMBA, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Science, Campus Vienna BioCentre, Vienna, Austria
- * E-mail: (HER); (JMP)
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Anti-tumor effect of CDK inhibitors on CDKN2A-defective squamous cell lung cancer cells. Cell Oncol (Dordr) 2018; 41:663-675. [PMID: 30178167 DOI: 10.1007/s13402-018-0404-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Squamous cell lung cancer (SqCLC) is a distinct histologic subtype of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Although the discovery of driver mutations and their targeted drugs has remarkably improved the treatment outcomes for lung adenocarcinoma, currently no such molecular target is clinically available for SqCLC. The CDKN2A locus at 9p21 encodes two alternatively spliced proteins, p16INK4a (p16) and p14ARF (p14), which function as cell cycle inhibitors. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project revealed that CDKN2A is inactivated in 72% of SqCLC cases. In addition, it was found that CDKN2A mutations are significantly more common in SqCLC than in adenocarcinoma. Down-regulation of p16 and p14 by CDKN2A gene inactivation leads to activation of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), thereby permitting constitutive phosphorylation of Rb and subsequent cell cycle progression. Here, we hypothesized that CDK inhibition may serve as an attractive strategy for the treatment of CDKN2A-defective SqCLC. METHODS We investigated whether the CDK inhibitors flavopiridol and dinaciclib may exhibit antitumor activity in CDKN2A-defective SqCLC cells compared to control cells. The cytotoxic effect of the CDK inhibitors was evaluated using cell viability assays, and the induction of apoptosis was assessed using TUNEL assays and Western blot analyses. Finally, anti-tumor effects of the CDK inhibitors on xenografted cells were investigated in vivo. RESULTS We found that flavopiridol and dinaciclib induced cytotoxicity by enhancing apoptosis in CDKN2A-defective SqCLC cells, and that epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) decreased and autophagy increased during this process. In addition, we found that autophagy had a cytoprotective role. CONCLUSION Our data suggest a potential role of CDK inhibitors in managing CDKN2A-defective SqCLC.
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Eduati F, Utharala R, Madhavan D, Neumann UP, Longerich T, Cramer T, Saez-Rodriguez J, Merten CA. A microfluidics platform for combinatorial drug screening on cancer biopsies. Nat Commun 2018; 9:2434. [PMID: 29934552 PMCID: PMC6015045 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-04919-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2017] [Accepted: 06/05/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Screening drugs on patient biopsies from solid tumours has immense potential, but is challenging due to the small amount of available material. To address this, we present here a plug-based microfluidics platform for functional screening of drug combinations. Integrated Braille valves allow changing the plug composition on demand and enable collecting >1200 data points (56 different conditions with at least 20 replicates each) per biopsy. After deriving and validating efficient and specific drug combinations for two genetically different pancreatic cancer cell lines and xenograft mouse models, we additionally screen live cells from human solid tumours with no need for ex vivo culturing steps, and obtain highly specific sensitivity profiles. The entire workflow can be completed within 48 h at assay costs of less than US$ 150 per patient. We believe this can pave the way for rapid determination of optimal personalized cancer therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Eduati
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, CB10 1SD, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Genome Biology Unit, Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600MB, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Ramesh Utharala
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Genome Biology Unit, Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Dharanija Madhavan
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Genome Biology Unit, Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ulf Peter Neumann
- Department of Surgery, RWTH University Hospital, 52057, Aachen, Germany
- ESCAM - European Surgery Center Aachen Maastricht, Aachen, Germany and Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas Longerich
- Institute of Pathology, RWTH University Hospital, 52057, Aachen, Germany
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Heidelberg, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Thorsten Cramer
- ESCAM - European Surgery Center Aachen Maastricht, Aachen, Germany and Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Molecular Tumor Biology, Department Surgery, RWTH University Hospital, 52057, Aachen, Germany
| | - Julio Saez-Rodriguez
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, CB10 1SD, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
- Joint Research Centre for Computational Biomedicine (JRC-COMBINE), RWTH Aachen University, Faculty of Medicine, 52057, Aachen, Germany.
- Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Heidelberg University, Faculty of Medicine, BIOQUANT-Center, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Christoph A Merten
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Genome Biology Unit, Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany.
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Combination of PI3K/Akt Pathway Inhibition and Plk1 Depletion Can Enhance Chemosensitivity to Gemcitabine in Pancreatic Carcinoma. Transl Oncol 2018; 11:852-863. [PMID: 29753186 PMCID: PMC6052177 DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2018.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2018] [Revised: 04/16/2018] [Accepted: 04/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The prognosis of pancreatic cancer (PC) remains pessimistic because of the difficulty in early diagnosis as well as the little advance in chemotherapy. Although being the first-line chemotherapy drug for PC at present, gemcitabine still has some disadvantages, such as low drug sensitivity and significant side effects. Thus, how to further improve the sensitivity of PC cells to gemcitabine is still a difficult subject in the field of pancreatic cancer-treatment. Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) is closely related to poor outcome in many malignant tumors and its high expression is linked to chemoresistance in PC. As a downstream gene activated by PI3K/Akt signal pathway, we assumed that the targeted depletion of Plk1 could contribute to the chemosensitization induced by synergistic drug interaction of PI3K inhibitor LY294002 together with gemcitabine. To analyze effect of Plk1 in chemotherapy, we constructed two recombinant adenoviral vectors which carry enhanced green fluorescent protein (rAd-EGFP) and Plk1-shRNA (rAd-shPlk1), respectively. Both inhibition of PI3K/Akt signal pathway through PI3K inhibitor LY294002 and targeted depletion of Plk1 via recombinant adenoviral shRNA can cause chemosensitization, and the targeted depletion of Plk1 can enhance the chemosensitization of LY294002. Thus, the gene therapy like targeted depletion of Plk1 may create new perspectives for chemosensitization of PC.
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Murthy D, Attri KS, Singh PK. Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase Signaling Pathway in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Progression, Pathogenesis, and Therapeutics. Front Physiol 2018; 9:335. [PMID: 29670543 PMCID: PMC5893816 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.00335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2017] [Accepted: 03/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly aggressive malignancy characterized by its sudden manifestation, rapid progression, poor prognosis, and limited therapeutic options. Genetic alterations in key signaling pathways found in early pancreatic lesions are pivotal for the development and progression of pancreatic intraepithelial neoplastic lesions into invasive carcinomas. More than 90% of PDAC tumors harbor driver mutations in K-Ras that activate various downstream effector-signaling pathways, including the phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) pathway. The PI3K pathway also responds to stimuli from various growth factor receptors present on the cancer cell surface that, in turn, modulate downstream signaling cascades. Thus, the inositide signaling acts as a central node in the complex cellular signaling networks to impact cancer cell growth, motility, metabolism, and survival. Also, recent publications highlight the importance of PI3K signaling in stromal cells, whereby PI3K signaling modifies the tumor microenvironment to dictate disease outcome. The high incidence of mutations in the PI3K signaling cascade, accompanied by activation of parallel signaling pathways, makes PI3K a promising candidate for drug therapy. In this review, we describe the role of PI3K signaling in pancreatic cancer development and progression. We also discuss the crosstalk between PI3K and other major cellular signaling cascades, and potential therapeutic opportunities for targeting pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Divya Murthy
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
| | - Kuldeep S Attri
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
| | - Pankaj K Singh
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States.,Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States.,Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
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Zhang P, Kawakami H, Liu W, Zeng X, Strebhardt K, Tao K, Huang S, Sinicrope FA. Targeting CDK1 and MEK/ERK Overcomes Apoptotic Resistance in BRAF-Mutant Human Colorectal Cancer. Mol Cancer Res 2017; 16:378-389. [PMID: 29233910 DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-17-0404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2017] [Revised: 10/13/2017] [Accepted: 11/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The BRAFV600E mutation occurs in approximately 8% of human colorectal cancers and is associated with therapeutic resistance that is due, in part, to reactivation of MEK/ERK signaling cascade. Recently, pathway analysis identified cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) upregulation in a subset of human BRAFV600E colorectal cancers. Therefore, it was determined whether CDK1 antagonism enhances the efficacy of MEK inhibition in BRAFV600E colorectal cancer cells. BRAFV600E colorectal cancer cell lines expressing CDK1 were sensitized to apoptosis upon siRNA knockdown or small-molecule inhibition with RO-3306 (CDK1 inhibitor) or dinaciclib (CDK1, 2, 5, 9 inhibitors). Combination of RO-3306 or dinaciclib with cobimetinib (MEK inhibitor) cooperatively enhanced apoptosis and reduced clonogenic survival versus monotherapy. Cells isogenic or ectopic for BRAFV600E displayed resistance to CDK1 inhibitors, as did cells with ectopic expression of constitutively active MEK CDK1 inhibitors induced a CASP8-dependent apoptosis shown by caspase-8 restoration in deficient NB7 cells that enhanced dinaciclib-induced CASP3 cleavage. CDK inhibitors suppressed pro-CASP8 phosphorylation at S387, as shown by drug withdrawal, which restored p-S387 and increased mitosis. In a colorectal cancer xenograft model, dinaciclib plus cobimetinib produced significantly greater tumor growth inhibition in association with a caspase-dependent apoptosis versus either drug alone. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) transcriptomic dataset revealed overexpression of CDK1 in human colorectal cancers versus normal colon. Together, these data establish CDK1 as a novel mediator of apoptosis resistance in BRAFV600E colorectal cancers whose combined targeting with a MEK/ERK inhibitor represents an effective therapeutic strategy.Implications: CDK1 is a novel mediator of apoptosis resistance in BRAFV600E colorectal cancers whose dual targeting with a MEK inhibitor may be therapeutically effective. Mol Cancer Res; 16(3); 378-89. ©2017 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Zhang
- Gastroenterology Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - Hisato Kawakami
- Gastroenterology Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - Weizhen Liu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiangyu Zeng
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Klaus Strebhardt
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Kaixiong Tao
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Shengbing Huang
- Gastroenterology Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - Frank A Sinicrope
- Gastroenterology Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. .,Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, Rochester, Minnesota
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Ge Y, Lei W, Ma Y, Wang Y, Wei B, Chen X, Ru G, He X, Mou X, Wang S. Synergistic antitumor effects of CDK inhibitor SNS‑032 and an oncolytic adenovirus co‑expressing TRAIL and Smac in pancreatic cancer. Mol Med Rep 2017; 15:3521-3528. [PMID: 28440486 PMCID: PMC5436152 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2017.6472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2015] [Accepted: 02/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene therapy using oncolytic adenoviruses is a novel approach for human cancer therapeutics. The current study aimed to investigate whether the combined use of an adenovirus expressing tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) and second mitochondria-derived activator of caspase (Smac) upon caspase activation (ZD55-TRAIL-IETD-Smac) and cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor SNS-032 will synergistically reinforce their anti-pancreatic cancer activities. The experiments in vitro demonstrated that SNS-032 enhances ZD55-TRAIL-IETD-Smac-induced apoptosis and causes marked pancreatic cancer cell death. Western blot assays suggested that the SNS-032 intensified ZD55-TRAIL-IETD-Smac-induced apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells by affecting anti-apoptotic signaling elements, including CDK-2, CDK-9, Mcl-1 and XIAP. Additionally, animal experiments further confirmed that the combination of SNS-032 and ZD55-TRAIL-IETD-Smac significantly inhibited the growth of BxPC-3 pancreatic tumor xenografts. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that SNS-032 sensitizes human pancreatic cancer cells to ZD55-TRAIL-IETD-Smac-induced cell death in vitro and in vivo. These findings indicate that combined treatment with SNS-032 and ZD55-TRAIL-IETD-Smac could represent a rational approach for anti-pancreatic cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Ge
- Xinyuan Institute of Medicine and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang Sci‑Tech University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310018, P.R. China
| | - Wen Lei
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, P.R. China
| | - Yingyu Ma
- Clinical Research Institute, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310014, P.R. China
| | - Yigang Wang
- Xinyuan Institute of Medicine and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang Sci‑Tech University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310018, P.R. China
| | - Buyun Wei
- Xinyuan Institute of Medicine and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang Sci‑Tech University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310018, P.R. China
| | - Xiaoyi Chen
- Clinical Research Institute, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310014, P.R. China
| | - Guoqing Ru
- Department of Pathology, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310014, P.R. China
| | - Xianglei He
- Department of Pathology, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310014, P.R. China
| | - Xiaozhou Mou
- Clinical Research Institute, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310014, P.R. China
| | - Shibing Wang
- Clinical Research Institute, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310014, P.R. China
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41
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Inhibition of Cdk5 induces cell death of tumor-initiating cells. Br J Cancer 2017; 116:912-922. [PMID: 28222068 PMCID: PMC5379151 DOI: 10.1038/bjc.2017.39] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2017] [Revised: 01/23/2017] [Accepted: 01/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Tumour-initiating cells (TICs) account for chemoresistance, tumour recurrence and metastasis, and therefore represent a major problem in tumour therapy. However, strategies to address TICs are limited. Recent studies indicate Cdk5 as a promising target for anti-cancer therapy and Cdk5 has recently been associated with epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). However, a role of Cdk5 in TICs has not been described yet. Methods: Expression of Cdk5 in human cancer tissue was analysed by staining of a human tissue microarray (TMA). Functional effects of Cdk5 overexpression, genetic knockdown by siRNA and shRNA, and pharmacologic inhibition by the small molecule roscovitine were tested in migration, invasion, cell death, and tumorsphere assays and in tumour establishment in vivo. For mechanistic studies, molecular biology methods were applied. Results: In fact, here we pin down a novel function of Cdk5 in TICs: knockdown and pharmacological inhibition of Cdk5 impaired tumorsphere formation and reduced tumour establishment in vivo. Conversely, Cdk5 overexpression promoted tumorsphere formation which was in line with increased expression of Cdk5 in human breast cancer tissues as shown by staining of a human TMA. In order to understand how Cdk5 inhibition affects tumorsphere formation, we identify a role of Cdk5 in detachment-induced cell death: Cdk5 inhibition induced apoptosis in tumorspheres by stabilizing the transcription factor Foxo1 which results in increased levels of the pro-apoptotic protein Bim. Conclusions: In summary, our study elucidates a Cdk5-Foxo1-Bim pathway in cell death in tumorspheres and suggests Cdk5 as a potential target to address TICs.
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42
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Abstract
Cancer is characterized by uncontrolled tumour cell proliferation resulting from aberrant activity of various cell cycle proteins. Therefore, cell cycle regulators are considered attractive targets in cancer therapy. Intriguingly, animal models demonstrate that some of these proteins are not essential for proliferation of non-transformed cells and development of most tissues. By contrast, many cancers are uniquely dependent on these proteins and hence are selectively sensitive to their inhibition. After decades of research on the physiological functions of cell cycle proteins and their relevance for cancer, this knowledge recently translated into the first approved cancer therapeutic targeting of a direct regulator of the cell cycle. In this Review, we focus on proteins that directly regulate cell cycle progression (such as cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs)), as well as checkpoint kinases, Aurora kinases and Polo-like kinases (PLKs). We discuss the role of cell cycle proteins in cancer, the rationale for targeting them in cancer treatment and results of clinical trials, as well as the future therapeutic potential of various cell cycle inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Otto
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Piotr Sicinski
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
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43
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Recent progress of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors as potential anticancer agents. Future Med Chem 2016; 8:2047-2076. [DOI: 10.4155/fmc-2016-0129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Deregulation of the cell cycle is a common feature in human cancer. The inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), which play a crucial role in control of the cell cycle, has always been one of the most promising areas in cancer chemotherapy. This review first summarizes the biology of CDKs and then focuses on the recent advances in both broad-range and selective CDK inhibitors during the last 5 years. The design rationale, structural optimization and structure–activity relationships analysis of these small molecules have been discussed in detail and the key interactions with the amino-acid residues of the most important compounds are highlighted. Future perspectives for CDKs inhibitors will be defined in the development of highly selective CDK inhibitors, an accurate knowledge of gene control mechanism and further predictive biomarker research.
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44
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Au-Yeung G, Lang F, Azar WJ, Mitchell C, Jarman KE, Lackovic K, Aziz D, Cullinane C, Pearson RB, Mileshkin L, Rischin D, Karst AM, Drapkin R, Etemadmoghadam D, Bowtell DDL. Selective Targeting of Cyclin E1-Amplified High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer by Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 2 and AKT Inhibition. Clin Cancer Res 2016; 23:1862-1874. [PMID: 27663592 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-16-0620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2016] [Revised: 09/06/2016] [Accepted: 09/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Purpose: Cyclin E1 (CCNE1) amplification is associated with primary treatment resistance and poor outcome in high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC). Here, we explore approaches to target CCNE1-amplified cancers and potential strategies to overcome resistance to targeted agents.Experimental Design: To examine dependency on CDK2 in CCNE1-amplified HGSC, we utilized siRNA and conditional shRNA gene suppression, and chemical inhibition using dinaciclib, a small-molecule CDK2 inhibitor. High-throughput compound screening was used to identify selective synergistic drug combinations, as well as combinations that may overcome drug resistance. An observed relationship between CCNE1 and the AKT pathway was further explored in genomic data from primary tumors, and functional studies in fallopian tube secretory cells.Results: We validate CDK2 as a therapeutic target by demonstrating selective sensitivity to gene suppression. However, we found that dinaciclib did not trigger amplicon-dependent sensitivity in a panel of HGSC cell lines. A high-throughput compound screen identified synergistic combinations in CCNE1-amplified HGSC, including dinaciclib and AKT inhibitors. Analysis of genomic data from TCGA demonstrated coamplification of CCNE1 and AKT2 Overexpression of Cyclin E1 and AKT isoforms, in addition to mutant TP53, imparted malignant characteristics in untransformed fallopian tube secretory cells, the dominant site of origin of HGSC.Conclusions: These findings suggest a specific dependency of CCNE1-amplified tumors for AKT activity, and point to a novel combination of dinaciclib and AKT inhibitors that may selectively target patients with CCNE1-amplified HGSC. Clin Cancer Res; 23(7); 1862-74. ©2016 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Au-Yeung
- Division of Cancer Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Medical Oncology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Franziska Lang
- Division of Cancer Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Walid J Azar
- Division of Cancer Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Chris Mitchell
- Division of Cancer Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kate E Jarman
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kurt Lackovic
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Diar Aziz
- Department of Pathology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Carleen Cullinane
- Division of Cancer Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Translational Research Program, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Richard B Pearson
- Division of Cancer Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Medical Oncology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Linda Mileshkin
- Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Medical Oncology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Medical Oncology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Danny Rischin
- Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Medical Oncology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Medical Oncology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Alison M Karst
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Ronny Drapkin
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Penn Ovarian Cancer Research Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Dariush Etemadmoghadam
- Division of Cancer Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Medical Oncology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Pathology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - David D L Bowtell
- Division of Cancer Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. .,Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Medical Oncology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Kinghorn Cancer Centre, Garvan Institute for Medical Research, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia
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Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly metastatic disease with a high mortality rate. Genetic and biochemical studies have shown that RAS signaling mediated by KRAS plays a pivotal role in disease initiation, progression and drug resistance. RAS signaling affects several cellular processes in PDAC, including cellular proliferation, migration, cellular metabolism and autophagy. 90% of pancreatic cancer patients harbor somatic oncogenic point mutations in KRAS, which lead to constitutive activation of the molecule. Pancreatic cancers lacking KRAS mutations show activation of RAS via upstream signaling through receptor mediated tyrosine kinases, like EGFR, and in a small fraction of patients, oncogenic activation of the downstream B-RAF molecule is detected. RAS-stimulated signaling of RAF/MEK/ERK, PI3K/AKT/mTOR and RalA/B is active in human pancreatic cancers, cancer cell lines and mouse models of PDAC, although activation levels of each signaling arm appear to be variable across different tumors and perhaps within different subclones of single tumors. Recently, several targeted therapies directed towards MEK, ERK, PI3K and mTOR have been assayed in pancreatic cancer cell lines and in mouse models of the disease with promising results for their ability to impede cellular growth or delay tumor formation, and several inhibitors are currently in clinical trials. However, therapy-induced cross activation of RAS effector molecules has elucidated the complexities of targeting RAS signaling. Combinatorial therapies are now being explored as an approach to overcome RAS-induced therapeutic resistance in pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen M Mann
- Cancer Research Program, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
| | - Haoqiang Ying
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Joseph Juan
- Molecular Oncology Department, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Nancy A Jenkins
- Cancer Research Program, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Neal G Copeland
- Cancer Research Program, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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Chen Z, Wang Z, Pang JC, Yu Y, Bieerkehazhi S, Lu J, Hu T, Zhao Y, Xu X, Zhang H, Yi JS, Liu S, Yang J. Multiple CDK inhibitor dinaciclib suppresses neuroblastoma growth via inhibiting CDK2 and CDK9 activity. Sci Rep 2016; 6:29090. [PMID: 27378523 PMCID: PMC4932496 DOI: 10.1038/srep29090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2016] [Accepted: 06/14/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB), the most common extracranial solid tumor of childhood, is responsible for approximately 15% of cancer-related mortality in children. Aberrant activation of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) has been shown to contribute to tumor cell progression in many cancers including NB. Therefore, small molecule inhibitors of CDKs comprise a strategic option in cancer therapy. Here we show that a novel multiple-CDK inhibitor, dinaciclib (SCH727965, MK-7965), exhibits potent anti-proliferative effects on a panel of NB cell lines by blocking the activity of CDK2 and CDK9. Dinaciclib also significantly sensitized NB cell lines to the treatment of chemotherapeutic agents such as doxorubicin (Dox) and etoposide (VP-16). Furthermore, dinaciclib revealed in vivo antitumor efficacy in an orthotopic xenograft mouse model of two NB cell lines and blocked tumor development in the TH-MYCN transgenic NB mouse model. Taken together, this study suggests that CDK2 and CDK9 are potential therapeutic targets in NB and that abrogating CDK2 and CDK9 activity by small molecules like dinaciclib is a promising strategy and a treatment option for NB patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenghu Chen
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, P. R. China.,Texas Children's Cancer Center, Department of Pediatrics, Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Zhenyu Wang
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.,Department of Breast Surgery, The second hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130041, China
| | - Jonathan C Pang
- Texas Children's Cancer Center, Department of Pediatrics, Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Yang Yu
- Texas Children's Cancer Center, Department of Pediatrics, Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Shayahati Bieerkehazhi
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.,College of Public Health, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi 830011, China
| | - Jiaxiong Lu
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, P. R. China.,Texas Children's Cancer Center, Department of Pediatrics, Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Ting Hu
- Texas Children's Cancer Center, Department of Pediatrics, Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.,Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China
| | - Yanling Zhao
- Texas Children's Cancer Center, Department of Pediatrics, Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Xin Xu
- Texas Children's Cancer Center, Department of Pediatrics, Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Hong Zhang
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Joanna S Yi
- Texas Children's Cancer Center, Department of Pediatrics, Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Shangfeng Liu
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, P. R. China.,Department of Stomatology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Jianhua Yang
- Texas Children's Cancer Center, Department of Pediatrics, Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
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Sonawane YA, Taylor MA, Napoleon JV, Rana S, Contreras JI, Natarajan A. Cyclin Dependent Kinase 9 Inhibitors for Cancer Therapy. J Med Chem 2016; 59:8667-8684. [PMID: 27171036 PMCID: PMC5636177 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.6b00150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
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Cyclin dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors
have been the topic of intense research for nearly 2 decades due to
their widely varied and critical functions within the cell. Recently
CDK9 has emerged as a druggable target for the development of cancer
therapeutics. CDK9 plays a crucial role in transcription regulation;
specifically, CDK9 mediated transcriptional regulation of short-lived
antiapoptotic proteins is critical for the survival of transformed
cells. Focused chemical libraries based on a plethora of scaffolds
have resulted in mixed success with regard to the development of selective
CDK9 inhibitors. Here we review the regulation of CDK9, its cellular
functions, and common core structures used to target CDK9, along with
their selectivity profile and efficacy in vitro and in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yogesh A Sonawane
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center , Omaha, Nebraska 68198-6805, United States
| | - Margaret A Taylor
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center , Omaha, Nebraska 68198-6805, United States
| | - John Victor Napoleon
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center , Omaha, Nebraska 68198-6805, United States
| | - Sandeep Rana
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center , Omaha, Nebraska 68198-6805, United States
| | - Jacob I Contreras
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center , Omaha, Nebraska 68198-6805, United States
| | - Amarnath Natarajan
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center , Omaha, Nebraska 68198-6805, United States
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48
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Quan Y, Liu Q. Effect of Akti-2 on sperm motility, capacitation and acrosome reaction in a mouse model. Biomed Rep 2016; 4:578-582. [PMID: 27123250 DOI: 10.3892/br.2016.627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2015] [Accepted: 02/09/2016] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of the Akt inhibitor, Akti-2, on the sperm motility and acrosome reaction in mice. Mature sperms from the adult mice, aged 8 weeks, were co-incubated with Akti-2 for ~30 min at 37°C in 5% CO2, and the sperm viability was assessed by eosin-nigrosin staining. The sperm total and progressive motility were analyzed by computer-aided sperm analysis. In addition, the acrosome reaction of sperms was detected by the acid phosphatase assay, Coomassie Brilliant Blue staining and fluorescein-isothiocyanate conjugated pisum sativum lectin staining, respectively. Compared with the control (dimethyl sulfoxide), Akti-2 had no effect on sperm viability, but it suppressed the total and progressive motility significantly. Furthermore, the capacitation-associated protein tyrosine phosphorylation and the acrosome reaction induced by calcium ionophore A23187 could be suppressed by Akti-2. These experiments confirmed that Akti-2 significantly impaired the sperm functions, including motility, capacitation and acrosome reaction, and provide the proof for its potential in male reproductive toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanmei Quan
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Basic Medicine, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200025, P.R. China
| | - Qiang Liu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Basic Medicine, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200025, P.R. China
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49
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Matsuoka T, Yashiro M. Molecular targets for the treatment of pancreatic cancer: Clinical and experimental studies. World J Gastroenterol 2016; 22:776-789. [PMID: 26811624 PMCID: PMC4716076 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v22.i2.776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2015] [Revised: 08/13/2015] [Accepted: 09/30/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Although recent therapeutic developments for patients with pancreatic cancer have provided survival benefits, the outcomes for patients with pancreatic cancer remain unsatisfactory. Molecularly targeted cancer therapy has advanced in the past decade with the use of a number of pathways as candidates of therapeutic targets. This review summarizes the molecular features of this refractory disease while focusing on the recent clinical and experimental findings on pancreatic cancer. It also discusses the data supporting current standard clinical outcomes, and offers conclusions that may improve the management of pancreatic cancer in the future.
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50
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Liu T, Fang Y, Zhang H, Deng M, Gao B, Niu N, Yu J, Lee S, Kim J, Qin B, Xie F, Evans D, Wang L, Lou W, Lou Z. HEATR1 Negatively Regulates Akt to Help Sensitize Pancreatic Cancer Cells to Chemotherapy. Cancer Res 2015; 76:572-81. [PMID: 26676747 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-15-0671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2015] [Accepted: 10/11/2015] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Elucidating mechanisms of chemoresistance is critical to improve cancer therapy, especially for the treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Genome-wide association studies have suggested the less studied gene HEAT repeat-containing protein 1 (HEATR1) as a possible determinant of cellular sensitivity to different chemotherapeutic drugs. In this study, we assessed this hypothesized link in PDAC, where HEATR1 expression is downregulated significantly. HEATR1 silencing in PDAC cells increased resistance to gemcitabine and other chemotherapeutics, where this effect was associated with increased AKT kinase phosphorylation at the Thr308 regulatory site. Mechanistically, HEATR1 enhanced cell responsiveness to gemcitabine by acting as a scaffold to facilitate interactions between AKT and the protein phosphatase PP2A, thereby promoting Thr308 dephosphorylation. Consistent with these findings, treatment with the AKT inhibitor triciribine sensitized HEATR1-depleted PDAC cells to gemcitabine, suggesting that this therapeutic combination may overcome gemcitabine resistance in patients with low HEATR1 expression. Clinically, we found that HEATR1 downregulation in PDAC patients was associated with increased AKT phosphorylation, poor response to tumor resection plus gemcitabine standard-of-care treatment, and shorter overall survival. Collectively, our findings establish HEATR1 as a novel regulator of AKT and a candidate predictive and prognostic indicator of drug responsiveness and outcome in PDAC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tongzheng Liu
- Division of Oncology Research, Department of Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - Yuan Fang
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Haoxing Zhang
- Division of Oncology Research, Department of Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Min Deng
- Division of Oncology Research, Department of Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - Bowen Gao
- Division of Oncology Research, Department of Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - Nifang Niu
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - Jia Yu
- School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - SeungBaek Lee
- Division of Oncology Research, Department of Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - JungJin Kim
- Division of Oncology Research, Department of Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - Bo Qin
- Division of Oncology Research, Department of Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - Fang Xie
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - Debra Evans
- Division of Oncology Research, Department of Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - Liewei Wang
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - Wenhui Lou
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Zhenkun Lou
- Division of Oncology Research, Department of Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.
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